Drawing Lines
This is what the neighborhood is asking for instead of a monster Walmart. It is mixed use retail/office/residential. It’s nice. We would go there. Roll your mouse over to see the current mall.
Trammell Crow is building a similar development (Crestview Station) on the other side of our neighborhood. Nobody is protesting that. (Well, probably somebody, but you know what I mean.) Us Erwins are looking forward to it.
Walmart hasn’t been as forthcoming with their designs. This is a poster that they sent to a few neighborhood meetings. (The poster showed, Walmart did not.)
Architecturally, there is something about this that reminds me of a house flip. Sure it’s a dilapidated empty property right now, and sure it will have a new coat of paint and more square footage, but in the end the seams show and the overall design is disjointed and illogical. In a few years, when the paint starts to peel, it will look worse than before, and the neighbors will pay for somebody else’s short term profit with the value of their own property.
We have had numerous Wal-Mart disputes in our neighborhood. One where they were fought and lost! (it was a small lot and we’re now getting a covered farmers market instead! :-)). But one where they won, was in Lakewood, Colorado and the city required that they create a look that was cohesive with the rest of the refurb of the neighborhood and I have to say - for a WalMart of course - it looks pretty cool! If you would like photos I’d be more than happy to send them along.
Hi erwins
I’m the architect up the street that stopped in and chatted w/ david awhile back - I live in the house that your friend once lived in . . anyway - I keep coming back to your blog every now and then (i’m not a blogger - but you are turning me on) anyway- I had not seen that rendering of the wal mart and I am sooo very hungry for any info I can get on this- I’ve recruited 5 neighbors for the hands around event tomorrow - your kids will be wearing red spots?
and I’ll stop by soon and say hi - I drive by at least once a day - you’re the coolest - you wouldn’t happen to be bridge players by any chance . . .
heidi